Tiger Woods snuck into the weekend at the PGA Championship with a gritty end to his second round. Despite the accomplishment of making the cut just 14 months after a single-car crash that nearly cost him his leg, Woods isn’t just happy to be here. He wants to be a factor.
“This weekend I am going to have to go low,” he said.
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Can he?
We’ll see, as we track his entire third round at Southern Hills.
Oh, by the way, the weather has changed. The wind has shifted and the temperature has dropped.
How much?
Can you name this masked man?
Dress for your day. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/lgMAE6aP5V
— PGA of America (@PGA) May 21, 2022
No. 1: Par 4, 451 yards
He opened his day with a perfect drive. It went downhill from there. From an awkward lie, Woods missed the green short. Then he hit a bad, bad first putt from off the green, leaving it 15 feet short. But, like he did over the back nine on Friday to make the cut, Woods grinded out a par.
Tiger starts his weekend in Southern Hills.@TigerWoods | #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/wE4yT9iXjK
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 21, 2022
Score: Par
Total for the day: Even
Where he stands for the tournament: 3 over
No. 2: Par 4, 480 yards
Woods stared at his tee ball for a long time while it was in the air at the second. That is never a good sign. It went in the water. A strong iron after the penalty drop saved things from getting worse.
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: 1 over
Where he stands for the tournament: 4 over
No. 3: Par 4, 444 yards
Woods went with another high cut off the tee. That has been his move all week. Aside from the misjudged wind at the second that resulted in a water ball, it has worked. From there he converted an easy par.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Where he stands for the tournament: 4 over
No. 4: Par 4, 377 yards
Another picture-perfect tee shot. Followed by a perfectly controlled, one-skip-and-stop wedge. But for one of the few times this week, Woods’ putter failed him. He lipped out the birdie putt from 6 feet. But how strange is golf? His playing partner, Shaun Norris, hit his tee shot in the hazard, but opted to play it from there instead of taking a penalty drop. With an impossible lie, Norris somehow got the ball onto the back of three green. Then, of course, he rolled in a 50-footer for birdie.
What a birdie sequence by Shaun Norris!#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/B4sNIKR19t
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 21, 2022
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Where he stands for the tournament: 4 over
No. 5: Par 5, 656 yards
A poor drive required an escape-artist recovery from the trees. And Woods did just that, with a low, slinging hook out of the trees. Back in the fairway, facing a much easier shot than the one he just hit, Woods hit a so-so iron that ended any chance for birdie.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Where he stands for the tournament: 4 over
No. 6: Par 3, 226 yards
Well, that was a mess. Woods came up 30 yards short on the par-3, and the ball found the water. Things didn’t get better. From the drop zone, Woods hit a shaky wedge that did not reach the green. His green-side chip didn’t find the putting surface. The sixth is not an easy hole, but Woods certainly didn’t think he’d be walking away with a 6.
Score: Triple bogey
Total for the day: 4 over
Where he stands for the tournament: 7 over